Free File Friday:Sailing

Hello!  Happy Memorial Day long weekend for those of you celebrating! It's almost summer vacay here, so naturally my focus was past summer trips!  I am up on the Paper Issues blog today with a fun way to layer your cut files as a texture and design element!

The Vicki Boutin Color Kaleidoscope paper pad had this

 blue toned water color background that was perfect for my base.

  I added more watercolor drops and splatters from other colors

 to add more splashes in the background. 

I sewed on the free cut file:

 Sailing into Summer waves and splattered some more!

My little dude showing his shaka sign- hang loose, especially when you're sailing in Hawaii!

Add sewing machine to stitching lines for more movement and texture to the background.

I can't wait for you to try a cut file in a new way. 

Maybe it is taking a smaller cut file like these waves

 and altering them by welding them together to create a longer strip of waves.

  Another idea would be to use a cut file in a repetitive way

in your background. Try painting or stenciling a background

 with a cut file or altering it with mixed media. 

Cut the cut file out of colored cardstock.

Try backing it or paper piecing a cut file!

Hope you are playing along with the May challenges 

that are posted in Paper Issues Friends and Fans!  

Save 20% on all the things you need from the Paper Issues store!  

There are so many new collections, free cut files,  and PI kits to try out!

Free File Friday Together

Hello, I am on the Paper Issues blog today with a new cut file design! 

I grabbed the new February PI kit and the Love You Hearts cut file to create this lovey-design! 
 I love that this cut file can stand out, but it isn't the entire background!

For this cut file, I wanted the mixed media colors to peek through the vellum layer on the cut file and be a splatter of colors around the edges.  I found acrylic paints that matched the Crate Paper background colors and watered them down to use the packaging technique. I couldn't resist and also added some gold Heidi Shine mist drops!  Gold makes everything sparkly and fun!

Hello, rose gold mini Pink Paislee alpha included in the February kit!!  I love how these can be used in small spaces such as on top of a cut file as a fun mini title or added dimension to your project!

Pop up your cut file off your background with foam dots.  This helps it to standout from a patterned paper background and adds a shadow effect that adds interest to a simple design! 

Have you checked out all of the new free downloads at Paper Issues??

 This new free PI cut file is Love You Hearts.

Grab this free cut file or any of the 100s of other ones from the Paper Issues store

 and hopefully you have this amazing February kit!! 

It is so easy to pull together a layout or project when you have all you need

 gathered up in one package!

 If you haven't tried a PI scrapbook kit or swag bag, you need them in your craft room!

 I can't wait for March's kit--it is going to be a beautiful blast of color! 

Have an amazing weekend! 

 Share what you create in our Paper Issues Facebook group or on social media!

 Tag our cut files with #PIcutfile and #PaperIssues so we can find you!!

As a thank you for stopping by the blog---

save when you shop!!

Happy New Year! Get in Motion!

Happy New Year!
I am up on the Paper Issues blog with a new challenge.

This January Challenge is all about things in motion.

I don't know about you, but coffee is what signites me into motion each day!

Motion or movement on the page could also be interpreted as the repeated circles and patterns on the page. The Joyful cut file includes circles that I cut in varying sizes and cut the coffee cups and sleeves into circles to layer around the photo.  For this design, I used two large coffee cups.

I started with white gesso on the red patterned paper to soften the edges around the circles.

 Next, I added  the splatters. 

I dry them with a hair dryer after each color of splatters so they don't smear/blend.

 The paint is watered down acrylic paint in red, black, and green.

Yes, total advertisment for Starbucks.  This is my third yearly design using their special cups.

This year, I had to document trying a new flavor: Juniper Latte. 

Also, I love that it shows I was drinking more coffee at 4 pm!! 

Tis' the Season to need

more hours in the day to do all the things!

 Yes, I agree--coffee=magic!

Love these Christmas Thickers in a wood tone color from Crate Paper Merry Days.  The mini foam alpha from Pink Paislee are perfect for secondary title words!

Make the 1st day of the new year a great one with

time to create and play along with the new

  January Challenges in the Facebook Group.

*********

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Swanky Swatches: Magical

Hello! Today I am up on the Paper Issues blog with a new layout based on this month's swatch colors!  I couldn’t wait to look through my holiday photos to find one to coordinate to the swatch and use the new Paper Issues December scrapbook kit "Hard Candy"!  I drew inspiration from the swatch colors as well as the wreath image!  Scroll to the end of this blog post for the December swatch!

 The Lawn Fawn patterned paper trees are so much rainbow fun and a great option away from the typical green and red!  I love mixing the enamel dots in to further add colors to the design.

I layered the free PI cut file bud wreath, which included the inner circle to cut the Lawn Fawn patterned paper to size. Get out that thread and add messy strings as well as stitching to add texture.

The watercolored Kaisercraft ephemera pieces are so beautiful and mix right in with other collections.  I recommend stocking up on extra Kaisercraft items in the store before it's gone. 

 It is such a pretty holiday collection.

 The December kit includes Pinkfresh wooden alpha stickers and they are the cutest!

 The small size is perfect for smaller titles and using to layer just as I did on top of the photo. 

I also layered the Magical title word on top of the photo and it is from the Joyful free cut file.

I wanted to remember this sweet story of a giving man

 who noticed us at church Christmas Eve and

 asked if we would enjoy a day at the nearby LegoLand since he works there. 

He rounded up six tickets for us and it was a fabulous

 95 degree day in LegoLand to end our holiday vacay in FL.

Some people are truly magical!!

 I hope you will check out the December challenges

 on Paper Issues Friends and Fans Facebook album and play along.

  Swanky Swatches is a great place to start. 

The color swatch and images are instantly inspiring!!

Thanks for visiting today!                       

Play along with all of the December challenges and tag us on social media. 

I love to see what you are creating!  

I hope you grabbed your December scrapbook or swag bag kit!

 If not, get one today for 20% off, 

use code: Stacie 

Happy Haunting!

Happy first Friday of November!!  Time is certainly flying by. Yes, Halloween has passed, but your spooktacular photos are still waiting to be scrapped! Bella Blvd has the cutest Halloween paper collection Sweet & Spooky and it was perfect for my pic of my littlest Ry Guy and I at school! 

  The PI cut file Happy Haunting was perfect to coordinate with this photo!  It's been awhile since I used a large cut file title and I love the little dangling spider!  The larger bat works great as a photo mat and helped to ground my photo.

 The Uma Thurman October scrapbook kit included Nuvo black, so of course I needed to add little dots throughout the design! Have you tried Nuvo crystal drops instead of enamel dots??  If not, you need to try them out!

The Bella Blvd Sweet & Spooky collection has so many cute ephemera and sticker pieces to tuck into layers and sprinkle throughout the design. Using a cut file title is an easy way to create a unique look and a major statement on your layout!

Messy stitching is a great addition to a spooky design or any border!  A few times stitching around the page provides more definition against a patterned background get this orange scallop "Smell My Feet" paper here!

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!  Do you have plans to create some layouts this weekend? 

 If so, be sure to add your October challenges by November 4th 

or add your new challenges to the Paper Issues November Facebook album!

It's almost the PI Paper Issues crop, November 9th -11th!! 

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Use code: Stacie to save 20% off your entire order.

Soak up the Sun

Today I am up on the Paper Issues blog with a Working with Water Colors post. 

I used the Sun and Fun free cut file and turned it into a stitching cut file. 

The water colors are the focal point of the sun center and the background, 

as well as a way to add a vintage look to the title word strips.

Here are a few close ups of the layout: If you have never turned cut lines into stitching marks for your needle, check out my cut file stitching tutorial post here to show you more!

The foam adhesive keeps the layers separated and casts slight shadows to create depth above the water color background.  Water colors are also a focal point of the center of the sun cut file. I love how my children's beach sunset photo worked so well with this sunny cut file and water color splash background.

Adding watercolors is easy by using the packaging technique. Here's how it looked under the cut file and photo. It is important to layer the colors and dry the area in between the layers. I use a hair dryer to dry the paper quickly and this minimizes paper warping.

Here's another background showing the packaging watercolor process.  I cut a scrap of plastic packaging and add water color to it. It naturally beads up/pools on the plastic.  Press it onto the paper where you'd like the color layered.

When it is sufficient, I stop and dry the area with a heat device such as a heat gun or hair dryer.

On this example, next I moved onto a golden yellow stripe. You can see slight variations of yellow and gold I layered in varying places before drying it.

I added the light blue-green color after setting the yellow stripe. You can see the small scrap of plastic used for this.

Here's the final tutorial picture of this now dried watercolor packaging technique! Pretty cool look to build a layout design on!

I am excited to see your water color magic! 

 Post your projects on Paper Issues July challenge album 

and have a chance to win gift cards this month.

As always there's a SALE at Paper Issues!  

Grab all of your favorite swag bag kits, 

Christmas in July kit, or collecion favorites for 20% off!

Code to save: Stacie

Oh, Boy!

Playing along at Paper Issues!  I busted out the Pink Paislee Wild Child and was inspired to use this space paper for my son's silly outer space photo! I mean how perfect--a Star Wars shirt, the outer space window, and all of the Wild Child supplies I need to use!

A few close ups, here's my ham!  Space-loving, everything Star Wars, Ryan!

Love all of the pops of red and metallic red throughout the Wild Child ephemera and stickers. Cut file title from Paper Issues found within this set: Greatest Adventure.

Yes,  I wanted it showered in splatters of paint to add to the spacey feel and depth of the design. Find this cut file title on My Greatest Adventure cut file.  This is a bonus cut file that isn't shown on the store image.

Stop by and check out all of the challenges at Paper Issues.  

We hope you are inspired to play along.

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Free shipping with orders over $75.

Sweet Moment

I am playing along with the new Paper Issues Challenge called PI Partners Up.  This month we are partnered with the CSI Scrapbook blog site.  They have fun "cases" each month to solve by creating something from the case file that inspires you.  The Hawaiian case photo or tropical beach image had me all inspired to pull out our Hawaii vacay pics!

The CSI Case #247 was a tropical scene and that screamed Hawaii to me!

I used lots of Amy Tangerine Hustle &Heart for this tropical scene.  How perfect is the Sweet Sensation pineapple paper for the border?! It fit the colors in the CSI scene.  The tropical pink flowers were a must to scatter throughout my design and pick up the photo included in the CSI case for February.

I used a PI free cut file for the pineapple and backed it with more AT Hustle & Heart papers.

I added acrylic paint splatters to tie in the white Thickers and cut file outline. 

Check out PI Partners Up this month and all of the February Challenges!

Save 20% if you stop by and check out Amy Tangerine's Hustle & Heart in the Paper Issues store.

Save on everything you need. 

Free File Free-For-All

I am over on the Paper Issues blog today because It's Free File Free-For-All!
It's Friday!! Annnnnnnd...it's Groundhog day....so in the spirit of seeing shadows, 

I created a fun black and white design using the heart wreath cut file today! 

 I love the Forever My Always collection from Pebbles. 

 These papers were so much fun to get creative with!  

Let's check out my take for February and Paper Issues Free File Free-For-All!

My why-

This guy--he is literally the sweetest.  

He will randomly say multiple times a day...."Mom?" 

 "Yes, Ryan?"

  "Mom, I love you."

  I mean my heart melts each and every time.

  He gives us all kisses.  

He makes sure we are happy.  

He just started opening my car door 

for me each morning before school...

and he waits outside so he can close my door, too.

Yes, so much love for this kid.  

I don't want to forget these moments. 

 We know they grow up in a blink!

Here are a few close ups:

Gesso and mixed media in the background. I used gelatos and the packaging technique for the color to bring color to the black and white background. I wanted the cut file heart wreath popped up with foam dots to create more of a shadow and depth from the bold text patterned paper.

  Still a fan of a touch of gold shimmer to a few of the embellishments scattered throughout.  Enamel dots and hearts are the perfect sprinkle!

See what I mean?!  All the Groundhog Day homage with the dark shadowy colors, black and white photo, and popped up layers!  The ephemera for Forever My Always, is just perfect for layering.

 I love the pink stitching against the dark backdrop.  Also, I just had to rough up the edges to curl back the patterned paper to show the soft pink and cute hearts.It ties in the colors of the cut file and the mixed media gelato colors that I layered.

So that's how I kicked off the new challenges at Paper Issues!  I sure hope you will join me and post your new creations using cut files or other PI free files in the February album!

Get your shop on at Paper Issues there are so many new things!

  As always- save 20% with code: Stacie